1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to a computer light, and more particularly to a portable energy-efficient light that is compatible with a computer port such as the Universal Serial Bus (USB) port or the IEEE1394 (firewire) port.
2. Description of the Related Art
As computer use has increased over the years, computer use in low light environments has increased as well. In low light environments, the user is able to view the screen but oftentimes is unable to see the computer keyboard or view paper notes such as presentation notes or slides. This is inconvenient even for skilled typists because some keys (e.g., arrow, function, and delete keys) are located on the outer edges of the keyboard and thus are hard to locate by feel. At times, the user needs to look at the keyboard and locate the desired key before pressing it, but when there is little or no light for illuminating the keyboard, the user often resorts to guessing and presses the wrong key. In addition oftentimes, when a user needs to remove or insert cables into the computer, there is little light in the back of the computer appliance.
Many portable light devices are available for the computer user, but these devices require their own power source and are convenient only for use in conjunction with desktop computers. These devices are simply too bulky to be carried around and used in conjunction with laptop computers. The weight that the portable light device and its power source adds to the weight of the laptop computer and the laptop computer""s power source is also a limiting factor. For these and other reasons, portable light devices, although useful, have not yet become popular with laptop computer users and handy for desktop computer users.
The invention provides a computer light that illuminates the computer keyboard or other items, such as a document that the computer user is working on, in low light environments. The computer light is lightweight and has a plug that is connectable to a computer port to draw power from the computer""s power source. As a result, users of laptop computers may pack and carry around this device with their laptop computers without adding too much extra weight. The computer light is also energy-efficient so that it does not cause an unnecessary power drain on the power supply of the laptop computer. Furthermore, the computer light has an elongated neck that is flexible enough to allow the light head to be positioned with ease but stiff enough to allow the light head to assume a fixed position relative to the computer keyboard or other items when it is not being manipulated.